Abstract: A multimedia mail system and a method thereof generates a message including comments or notes on a background picture using voice and drawing data. The message is sent to a destination terminal using a mail system, and then is regenerated. The voice and drawing data of the received message is synchronized in the same time relation as that used for generation of the message.

Abstract: A communication system having a plurality of communication terminals which perform data communication with each other through a communication network. Each communication terminal includes a refusing time zone registration unit for registering a time zone in which the communication terminal will not accept a communication request from the other communication terminals, a present time acquisition unit for acquiring a present time when a communication request is received from a communication request transmitting terminal, and a judgment unit for judging whether the communication request has been received during the registered time zone by comparing the acquired present time to the registered time zone. The communication terminal further includes a communication refusing signal issuance unit for issuing a communication refusing signal automatically to the communication request transmitting terminal when it is judged that the communication request has been received during the registered time zone.

Abstract: A voice communication system, which is connected to a LAN to which communication terminals are connected and to a public network to which telephones are connected, is provided with a communication server between the LAN and public network having different protocols from each other. The communication server enables a voice communication between a telephone on the public network and a communication terminal connected to the LAN by performing processing similar to that for a voice communication between two communication terminals connected to the LAN. The communication server determines whether an address of the other party inputted by a user is a communication terminal address or a telephone number, and transmits a voice communication request to a communication terminal of the other party when the address is a communication terminal address.

Abstract: In a video communication system including a sending terminal and a receiving terminal connected via a packet switching network, a receiving terminal which has detected loss of a video packet sets a video output into a freeze status and transmits a refresh request command to the sending terminal. Upon receiving the refresh request command, the sending terminal requests a video coder unit to execute refreshing and transmits a series of video packets beginning from an INTRA frame. Upon receiving a packet of the INTRA frame, the receiving terminal releases the freeze status and restarts video information decoding.

Abstract: A system in which multimedia information communication is performed between two terminal stations connected to each other through a packet switching network, each of the terminal stations having a control device for performing send control for sending a video packet including coded video data and a voice packet including coded voice data to the packet switching network and supply control for supplying the video packet and voice packet received from the packe switching network to a video codec and a voice codec respectively.